Improvement in apparatus for weighing grain



R. S. MORISON.

Grain Meter.

No. 55,691. Patented June 19, 1866.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEErcE.

R. S. MORISON, OF BANGOR, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR WEIGHING GRAIN.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,691, dated June 10, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, R. S. MORISON, of Bangor, in the county of Penobscot, in the State of Maine, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in WVeighingApparat-us ;and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification, is a description of my invention suflicient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

In this invention the object is to utilize the movement communicated to a lever or scalebeam, caused by the gravitation of the matter weighed asit balances and overcomes the counterpoise thereof, for the purpose of changing the direction of the current of the matter to be portioned out into equal weights into another receptacle operative on the same lever or scale-beam.

In what the invention consists will be best understood after a description of one of its embodiments. This is shown in the drawings, Figure 1 representing in plan a platform-scale with myinvention attached. Fig. 2 shows the same in front elevation, and Fig.3 represents an end elevation thereof.

The parts A, B, and 0 represent, respect ively, the base, upright post, and horizontal arm of an ordinary platform-scale, and therefore need no'description. The lever or scalebeam ais connected with the system of levers which in the platform support the weight in the usual manner, andis itself hung or pivoted in a way too well known to call for illustration.

The apparatus shown is one adapted to the weighin g of grain or other granular or powdered material, to contain which there is placed on the scale-platform areceptacle of two compartments having bottoms b b, inclining from the center to swinging gates c c, which make the outer ends of the compartments, these ends extending over the base of the scale, so as to discharge the contents of the compartments when the gates c c are open clear of the base, to which bags may be hung under the gates, if desirable. The gates are kept from opening by accident or by pressure from within by the spring latches (1. Over the receptacle described is hung a chute, e, which at each rising of the scale-beam is caused to vibrate, so that its delivery end is alternately over each the position of lever 7b to that shown in Fig.4

compartment, while its upper or receiving end is so flared as always to be beneath the spout or stream of grain or other matter which is descending to be weighed.

I will now proceed to describe a mechanism by which the movement of the scale-beam and the momentum it acquires in rising as the matter in one of the compartments counterbalances the beam and its attachments operates to change the position of chute e. The linkfis pivoted to the beam a, and at its upper end, where it connects with the bent lever g, is slotted, so as to allow the beam to considerable movement, in whichit acquires momentum before the lower end of the slot acts on lever g to move it. The beam a, linkf, and bent lever g are shown in their normal positions in Fig. 2 in black lines, and in the position which they assume consequent on the overcoming the resistance of the beam in red lines.

On the top of post B a horizontal lever, h, is pivoted near its center, one end 'of said lever being connected with the chute. This lever it has a long slot extending nearly equal distances each waylengthwise from its pivots, in which slot the end of the link 2' works in a manner hereinafter to be described, the other end of the link 11 being connected to the bent lever g, by which itis operated. Suppose the chute e to be in the position seen in Fig. 2, ready to discharge into the right-hand compartment, and the lever h in the position seen in Fig. 1, with the beam (0 in its normal position. Now, when enough grain or other matter runs into the right-hand compartment to depress the platform and raise the beam a, the link t, operated by lever g from link f, changes shifting the position of the chute 0, so that it will deliver into the left-hand compartment. If, now, the right-hand gate 0 be opened, the grain or other matter will run out therefrom and the platform will be elevated by the descent of the beam, which, pulling on the link 2', causes its end to traverse the slot in lever h without changing the position thereof, leaving the parts in the position seen in Fi 4. The grain or other matter, continuing to run into the left-hand compartment, soon counterbalances the beam and its connections, causing it to rise consequent on the depression of the platform, this movement acting through the link 2', shifting the lever h from position v, seen in Fig.4 to that seen in Fig. 1,and causing the delivery end of the chute to move from left to right. Theleft-hand gate, being opened,

relieves the scale from weight and allows the the chute from one compartment to the other will proceed with regularity so lonas matter to be weighed is supplied to and released from the compartments.

I will now describe the details by which, when the lever his vibrated from action of linkt' at one end of the slot, the end of thelink moves from one to the other end of the slotin the leverhwithout changing its position.

On the top of the post B, and beneath lever h, are located two guiding-projections, which, with four springs opera-ting in conjunction therewith and with the slot in lever h, act on the end of link i, which projects downward through lever h. At each end of the slot in ii there is a slightenlargement, in which the link i operates as in a socket when thrust forward by the rise of the beam to change the position of lever h. The purpose of the two springs 12 n is to lock the end of link i in said sockets at the commencement of the thrust on one or the other end of the lever h, and to cause the end of the link projecting beneath the lever h to move around the curved parts of projections j j, instead of moving along the slot in the lever. The free ends of these springs are inclined or latch shaped to allow the end of link i to pass them by springing them back as the link makes its false or return movements through the slot. The springs 0 0 act to start the end of link i from the sockets formed in the end of the slot, so that the link shall be free to make its false or return movements with and by the descent of the beam to. The pins 70 7tact as stops to prevent undue movement of the lever h.

To retain the beam to in position till nearly the entire weight desired is obtained upon the platform, and then to liberate the beam suddenly,is desirable, in order to obtain sufficient amount of momentum by the movement of the beam to shift the chute.

' I will now describe a device which I have employed for said purpose. l is a small bent lever pivoted at a pointconsiderably below the place where this lever or beam acts on the main beam to, this giving a quick retreating movement to beam i when it acts to liberate beam (1. On the end of 1, adjacent to a, is a light latch-spring, which operates as follows:

Suppose beam at in the position seen in red lines, Fig.2, and descending towardits normal position, then the end of a strikes upon the latch-spring and easily moves it, passing by it and being then held thereby, so that when once looked in position by the latch-spring the beam a, cannot be moved upward without vibrating lever l. The weight of the lever or beam Z forms part of the resistance to the depression of the platform of the scale, and in the adjustment of the scale must be considered just as much as the weight of the main beam and its connections. Weights or poises may be applied to either or both of the beams a or lin any of the well-known manners, and the whole or partof the notation maybe read upon either or both of the beams. If, however, the weight is wholly applied to lever l and is omitted from beam to, the attendant upon the scales would have to take hold of beam to to return it to its normal position after each discharge of the matter weighed.

Instead of having the rise of the beam operate to shift the position of the chute,it might be made to shift a belt, which would do the work of changing the position of the chute or the rise of the beam mightbe made to work a valve in a chute, or might act as an indicator to other mechanism for accomplishing that or a similar purpose.

My invention in any of the modified forms which itmay be made to assume willbe found of great practical utility, especiallyin the weighin g of .grai n where large quantities are handled.

I claim- 1. In combination with a scale beam, the mechanism operated thereby to control the passage to the scale of material to be weighed, and arranged to operate in the manner shown and described.

2. In combination with a scale-beam, a secondary lever or beam, as set forth, when arranged to suddenly release the scale-beam when the weight received by the scale equals the amount noted on its register, substantially as described.

3. In combination withascale-beam, aslotted link, as set forth, to permit free motion of the beam to an extent sufficient to secure momentum by which to actuate a controlling mechanism, as described.

- 4. The arrangement of mechanism for changing the chute, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of February, A. D. 1866.

R. S. MORISON.

Witnesses:

J. B. GRosBY, F. GOULD. 

